Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1887-06-01
GEN. AUGTR-

The guard house is surrounded by tents.
and it is carefully guarded. 1t is long
building of pine boards, with two rows of
cells, and an aisle running through between
them. The cells look like the bins of a gran
airy. They are about six feet square and
have no windows Their only furniture is a
mattress, which is laid fat upon the floor for
the criminals to sleep upon. There are no
soldiers in it yet, but it will doubtless have
something to do before the drill is over
Standing at the guard house, l took a look
across Babcock lake at the mess house. and it
is, | assure you, lively institution. A New
York man operates it, and he cooks all the
meals here for the 6,000 or more soldiers in
attendance upon the drill He has q building
covering quarter of an acre of ground and
lying very near to the Washington monu-
ment The soldiers have not as vet conr-
planned of his cooking, and the smell is rather
appetizng as you pass the kitchen.
~*x
The drill takes place in the big drill
grounds upon the white lot, and about
twenty acres of this are inclosed with high
board fence. Around the edge of about one
half of this circle grand stands have been
erected, and the spectators can look down at
the drill in the same way that the old Ro-
scum. The coliseum, however, would have
seated just nine times as many people as
these grand stands, and it gives one some
idea Of the number of the Romans to think
that they required an amusement hall big
enough to seat 10000 people. There is am
pie room for the drill here, and many regi-
ments can be exercised at the same time in
these grounds.
l called at the headquarters and took a
look at the leading men connected with the
drill. Gen. Augur looks like a soldier He
Is commandment of the camp, and tall, fine
looking fellow he is. Though over 60 he
moves around like one of the cadets, and his
only sign of age is in his hair and whiskers,
which are now turning gray. He is New
Yorker by birth, but has lived at Washing
flor the last quarter of century. From
1868 to 1856 he was in command of the de
lenses Of Washington, but he is now on the
retired list and he lives very nicely at his
home in Georgetown.
Gen. Ordway is A years of age, and he be-
gan his military life as a student at Harvard
college. He was member of the New Eng
land guards, and at IS was first lieuteu-
ant in the Twenty fourth Massachusetts,
infantry, one of the three kid
gloved regiments of Boston. He served
throughout the war in the armies of the Po-
tomac and the James, and he was present at
the final surrender at Appomattox. He rose
from lieutenant to colonel during this time,
and at the close Of the war was made provost
marshal of the state of Virginia. When his
regiment was mustered out he was made a
bligadier general and he was offered posi-.
ton in the regular army. He declined this
and went to live in Richmond. In 1876 he
moved to Washington, and has been largely
connected with militia matters here He had
charge of the last inaugural parade, and he
showed great ability in managing the 1000
men connected with it, He says he hopes to
make the militia of the District of Columbia
the model militia of the country, and he win
probably succeed in doing so.
FRANK L. CARPENTER.